Related Tags:

This was the one that made all the others possible. [lastfm link_type=”artist_info”]Diamond Head[/lastfm] formed in June of 1977 and released Lightning to the Nations in 1980. It originally came in a plain sleeve with no title, having on it only a signature of one of the band members and no track listings. However, its importance to metal as well as the effect it has had on metal as a whole can not be overstated. Without Lightning to the Nations, it is hard to imagine how albums like Master of Puppets, Rust in Peace, Reign in Blood and Among the Living could have been possible. This album was a key source of inspiration for all involved in the making of those albums and without it, metal might be very different, or even perhaps nonexistent in its current form today.

The album catapulted [lastfm link_type=”artist_info”]Diamond Head[/lastfm] to the forefront of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene and made [lastfm link_type=”artist_info”]Diamond Head[/lastfm] a household name. The album was recorded within only seven days at The Old Smythy Studio in Worcester and had an extremely low budget. However, the bands character and songwriting made that a non issue as everything from the song structures to lyrics and of course the heavy riff-age were crafted perfectly to make an album that stands the test of time.

The voice behind Lightning to the Nations, Sean Harris spoke about how low of a budget the band was actually working with in an interview – “Our “white” cover album which we put out ourselves; it didn’t have the title at first cause we couldn’t afford a cover! People like Lars Ulrich got a hold of one and came to England to see us and obviously the rest of that is history.”

Listen to a radio interview with original [lastfm link_type=”artist_info”]Diamond Head[/lastfm] singer Sean Harris from 1980 below: